Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to telescoping seating systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vertical support element, or plurality of vertical support elements, configured to provide vertical structural support to a telescoping seating system when the seating system is in a closed position.
Description of Related Art
Telescoping seating systems, such as bleachers, are commonly used in gymnasiums and other areas where high-volume seating is desired. Stacked, telescoping bleacher levels of varying number may be used, depending on the size of the area and the amount of seating desired. Each bleacher level has both a seat portion and a foot support portion. In an “open” configuration, the bleacher levels are pulled away from an anchor point, such as a wall, in a step-wise fashion, such that the lowest, first level is pulled furthest from the anchor point, the second level is pulled second furthest from the anchor point, and so forth. In a “closed” configuration, on the other hand, the bleacher levels are pushed back into a stacked position, wherein the faces of the seating portions of each bleacher level are substantially vertically flush with one another. This configuration enables the bleachers to be stored when not in use, allowing the area normally housing the plurality of open bleacher levels to be available for other uses.
Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a telescoping seating system 100 according to the prior art is shown. Seating system 100 is shown in a closed position, wherein a plurality of stacked bleacher levels 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120 extend from a wall 102 along a floor 104. In this closed configuration, each bleacher level 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 is retracted to be substantially flush with the corresponding levels. As is well known in the art, when bleacher levels 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 are in an open configuration, the levels extend from wall 102 in a step-wise fashion to provide a plurality of accessible seating levels. A wheeled track system 106 enables the plurality of bleacher levels 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 to open in this step-wise fashion along floor 104. Upper-most bleacher levels 118 and 120 in FIG. 1 do not extend or retract with the other bleacher levels, as they are fixed to wall 102 and/or a stationary vertical support post 136.
Each bleacher level 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, has a rear riser beam 121, one or more perpendicular brace beams 122 extending from the rear riser beam, a nose beam 128 attached to brace beams 122 and running parallel to riser beams 121, a foot platform 124, a seat bracket 130 attached to nose beam 128, a horizontal seat portion 132 attached to seat bracket 130, and a vertical seat portion 134 attached to seat bracket 130. While not entirely shown in FIG. 1, each bleacher level 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 also has two or more vertical support posts 126. Riser beams 121 are attached to vertical support posts 126, and when in an open configuration, vertical support posts 126 for each bleacher level 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 also provide vertical support for the bleacher level immediately above.
As FIG. 1 shows, lower-most bleacher level 108 is provided constant vertical support at or near nose beam 128 via a front vertical support beam 138, with wheeled track system 106 attached, regardless of whether the system 100 is in an open or closed configuration. Conversely, however, bleacher levels 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 are provided no vertical support at or near nose beam 128 when in the closed configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. As such, each bleacher level 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 is cantilevered from its respective connection of riser beams 121 to vertical support posts 126, potentially causing bleacher levels 110, 112, 114, 116, 118 to sag. This sagging may be caused simply by long-term gravity stress, but is often exacerbated by individuals climbing up/on the bleacher levels while they are in the closed position. Over time, such vertical stress and sagging may cause vertical support posts 126, brace beams 122, and/or riser beams 121 to bend, which may allow the front of one or more bleacher levels to interfere with adjacent levels, thereby causing difficulty with opening and closing the system. This difficulty may include an upper level dragging on a lower level, uneven opening/closing of levels, or partial opening/closing of levels. If the levels do not open in a straight, even line bottom-to-top, it may cause torque on vertical support posts 126 and the overall connecting structure. If not repaired, this torque misaligns vertical support posts 126 and the connecting structure increasingly over time.
Remedies for this sagging bleacher level issue include repairs to straighten vertical deck support posts, fabrication of custom support brackets at the rear riser beams, and/or complete replacement of bent vertical support posts. While such repairs mitigate the need for replacement of the entire telescoping seating system, the issue of sagging bleacher levels and need for costly and time-consuming repairs will likely reoccur without some form of vertical support for the front of each bleacher level. As such, several proposed solutions have been developed to provide this vertical support. One such solution has support wheels mounted on extensions from the bottom surface of a level/platform, such that the wheels travel along the foot platform below during opening and closing operations. However, this solution requires spaces or gaps in the seating portion of the lower level to enable the wheels to pass through the seating portion as the bleacher system is rolled into a stacked position.
Another solution is to have wheels mounted to the bottom of each bleacher level that travel along a customized support beam, wherein the support beam is mounted on each lower bleacher level between the rear riser beam and the seating portion. This customized support beam is at a height equal to the lower seating portion height, such that as the bleacher system approaches a stacked/stored position, the wheels travel off of the support beam and onto the lower seating portion to create a vertical support between bleacher levels down to the floor. One disadvantage of this solution is that the custom support beams can only be placed at the ends of each bleacher level, as they represent a tripping hazard if placed elsewhere along the width of the bleacher level. Having only one or two vertical supports on the ends of the bleacher level may not provide the necessary vertical support to prevent sagging.
Another proposed solution eliminates the custom support beam and instead relies only on wheels mounted to the bottom of each bleacher level, wherein the wheels intersect with the top of the seat portion below as the bleacher system approaches the stacked/closed position. However, this solution is not effective if the levels are at all bent or sagging, as the wheels will not roll smoothly onto the seating portions, causing seat and/or structural damage if the bleachers are unable to open and close according to their designed sequence. Additionally, these wheel-based support systems require expensive modifications to existing bleacher systems, and are in general permanently installed and not customizable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a front vertical support apparatus between adjacent bleacher levels that is low cost, may be retrofitted into existing systems, and requires little to no maintenance or monitoring after installation.